In Sickness and In Health
by Mini Wolfsbane
Summary: Molly gets sick and Remy takes it upon himself to be her caretaker. Is he just being nice or is there something more to it then that? 18th story in a series. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:I don't own X-Men:Evolution, just myself (Called Molly Callum in 'fics.)  
and any original characters/background characters that might pop up from time to time.  
_

*CRASH*

"Oops," Molly stared at the jar of broken jam on the floor. "You okay? We heard a crash," Remy and some of the kids came running into the kitchen.  
"It's nothing," Molly smiled, "The jar slipped out of my hands."

Molly was spending the day making cupcakes from the baking cookbook Remy had gotten her some months ago.  
Remy was impressed that she could bake. Plus she was making cupcakes, and who didn't like cupcakes?

"You _are_ clumsy, aren't you?" Remy smiled, ruffling Mollys hair.

The mess got cleaned up and everyone except Remy left the kitchen.  
"You want some help?" he asked. "No, cupcakes are easy," Molly said, "But you can try the first one when they're done." Molly finished making the batter and put it into the cupcake pan.

They sat around and waited for the time to go off. In the meantime, they talked.  
"I can cook too," Remy said, trying to impress her, "I can make gumbo and chili. Lots of things. I mean, I could make something for you without meat if you wanted."

"That sounds good. I've never had gumbo before," Molly said, "That's really neat you can cook all that stuff. Very impressive. Most guys are scared of cooking, you know?"

"Trust me, I know my way around a kitchen," Remy winked.

"Smells like they're done," Molly got up from her seat and rushed to the oven.  
The sweets were browned and looking mouth watering, smelling really good.  
They let them cool off before frosting one. Remy took a bite and was impressed.  
"Wow! You can make cupcakes for me anytime," Remy smiled.

Together they frosted them and the kids came charging in. They made sure to save a few for themselves before the melee started. Remy followed Molly upstairs to one of the rec rooms where they ate and watched TV. Remy didn't feel like leaving Mollys side today. They'd been through a lot for the past few months, so it was nice to just spend time with her in a relaxed, normal setting.

He knew there was a chance it wouldn't last long since trouble seemed to follow the X-Men as a work hazard, but he could enjoy it while it lasted.

*Creeeeek*

*crreeeeeek*

"What is...oh crap!" Molly and Remy looked up to see a giant water balloon at least four feet across falling from the ceiling. Molly panicked and somehow ended up in Remys lap.  
Remy was happy for about two seconds until the water balloon dropped. They were both drenched.

"BOBBY!" The two angrily yelled.

"I'm gonna kill him," Molly growled, stalking the hallway.

It was already the end of fall and no time for water balloons.

"I'll find him. You should go change clothes before you catch cold," Remy tossed her one of the towels he had grabbed from a nearby storage closet.

"Okay, thanks Remy," Molly smiled and Remy felt his heart beat faster.

Remy looked everywhere for Bobby, but clearly he was either out,  
(a wise decision), or hiding.

Remy went back to see Molly. "I can't find him, but he has to show up sometime."

"I can't believe he'd do something so crazy-'CHOO!...AAAH-CHOO!" Molly started sneezing. Remy was going from mildly annoyed to a little mad. He didn't want to see Molly get sick.

Molly must have sensed his feelings, because she said, "It's okay if I get sick.  
I usually get sick in cold weather anyway because my immune system is crap.  
A cold is nothing. It's better then the flu."

"You should go lie down. Best way to beat it off is with some rest," Remy said.  
"I'm feeling okay, don't worry about me. If I feel worse I'll go kick back.  
I'm fine," Molly said. Molly went downstairs to clean up the mess from the cupcakes. Against his better judgement Remy didn't try to stop her. They both knew that the dishes weren't going to wash themselves.

"I'll help," Remy started rinsing the dishes. They talked as they cleaned up the kitchen.

"What are you doing this week?" Remy asked.

"Going to take some of the kids to the zoo on Friday. Saturday Jean wants to take all the girls out to do something. Next week I need to go clothes shopping," Molly said.

When they were finished, they sat at the table. Remy noticed that Molly looked flushed.  
"You're not looking so good," Remy observed. "I'm not feeling so good. I think I am getting sick," Molly groaned. Remy felt her head. Molly did feel pretty warm.  
"It's not Bobby's fault. I probably just caught something," Molly said weakly.

"Lets get you upstairs," Remy said. He carried her and for once she didn't complain. She must have really been sick.

"Get comfortable and I'll get the thermometer," Remy set her in her bed.  
He came back shortly with the thermometer and some medicine.  
Remy took her temperature and after finding out she had a somewhat high fever he gave her some medicine. He left and came back again with a cold pack for her head.

"If you're hungry I can get you some dinner," Remy offered.  
"Not hungry yet. I'd rather sleep," Molly looked tired.  
"Okay. I'll be back later," Remy said.

Remy had dinner and let everyone know Molly was sick.  
He finally had a word with Bobby, then after dinner he went back upstairs to check Molly.

She was still sleeping. He quietly left the door ajar.

Remy went to his room. He sat around and read, he played a couple games of solitaire,  
he even started organizing a sock drawer, but nothing he did could get his mind off of Molly.  
Remy knew it wasn't just because she was sick. He had been thinking about her a lot lately. He went to take a shower to calm his restlessness.

After the shower he changed into his pjs and went to check Molly again.  
He got there in time to see her up and around. "You shouldn't be out of bed,"  
Remy guided her back to bed. "I was just going to get some dinner, sheesh!" Molly complained. "I'll get it," He felt her head. Molly felt a little warmer then before. "I can get it. I'm fine," She insisted. "You're getting warmer," Remy said, "Stay in bed. I'll be right back."

He came back with dinner and more medicine for her fever.  
"Thanks for doing all this. You really didn't have to. I'm sure you have better stuff to do then take care of me," Molly said as she ate.

"It's not a problem. I like spending time with you and it's nice having something else to do around here besides boss the kids around," Remy said.

"Did you ever find Bobby?" Molly asked. "I found him and gave him the tongue lashing of the decade," Remy smirked, "He was mad that he got in trouble, but he apologized.  
I don't know why he can't do simple pranks. It would cause less trouble."

"Bobby can't do anything that isn't elaborate to save his life. He likes to go all out with everything. Like last month when he wanted to try to cook something," Molly said.

"That was bad. I thought the kitchen would never get clean after the explosion," Remy smiled.

Molly finished eating and lay back down. She grabbed the thermometer and took her temperature.  
"Oh...it's getting up there," She frowned looking at the thermometer. "The medicine should help.  
Just try to stay cool," Remy advised as he got her dishes to take back to the kitchen.  
When he came back, she was asleep, but she still looked overheated. Remy got a fan from his room and put it in hers. It wouldn't make the fever go away, but it might help.

Remy went to bed, but didn't go to sleep right away. He stayed awake thinking. Thinking about Molly. Thinking about their relationship. How he felt about her.  
It killed him to see her hurt, sick or in pain. He was very protective of her. He had been from day one.  
He had always felt a certain way about her. Remys feelings had changed over the course of time from acting as a friend to having romantic feelings for her. He was used to women throwing themselves at him.  
He had expected Molly to fall into that pattern too, but she had put her foot down despite the signs that she felt the same way. Remy wasn't sure if it was foolish to agree to be friends, or just a big mistake.  
Molly was different from other girls, it had made Remy intrigued. She was still young in a lot of ways.  
Still fun and not bogged down by life. It was her personality that made him like her though. Her looks played a factor, but it all balanced out. A refreshing change after dating too many women who looked good, but had awful personalities.

Remy wanted her for a girlfriend, but he was being patient. There was a good chance she would come around.  
If not...well he would just cross that bridge when he came to it.

Except that wasn't going to work if he couldn't stop thinking about her.

Remy grit his teeth in frustration. He'd been through this before, he'd dated women.

No, he realized, he had not been through this before. This was different. This was something else entirely. Before, he would flirt, date, and maybe fall in love a few times. It was uncomplicated because the women came to him. They would call him good looking and charming and not complain if they were flirted with. All opposite of Molly. She was embarrassed at his flirtatious nature and complained about it, wether she actually liked it or not. Molly insisted that they stay friends and she didn't really try to make any move to change things. Or if she had in the past, it just hadn't worked out in her favor.  
They had one date and it fell through in a big way. Molly didn't know anything about love or dating,  
so maybe that was part of the reason why she wanted them to be friends, besides valuing the friendship.  
Remy knew it was mostly about them staying friends, but it just hadn't worked out that way.  
They'd gotten too close to each other. Too familiar. The attraction was there and after it festered,  
it was impossible to be so platonic to someone that made you feel so happy, so romantic.

"Molly," He thought aloud, "You're driving me crazy and you don't even know it."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer:I don't own X-Men:Evolution, just myself (Called Molly Callum in 'fics.)  
and any original characters/background characters that might pop up from time to time.

* * *

Remy rushed to Molly's room the next morning. She had just woken up and was sitting in a wet, sweaty bed. The fever had broken messily.

"Eww. Guess I'd better change it," Molly felt the bed, then got up. "No need. I'll get it. You don't sound so good anyway," Remy went over to change the sheets.  
"I'm perfectly capable-" she started to say.

"I know _you_ don't believe it, but you are sick," Remy said, "What's so bad about letting me take care of you?"

"_Nothing_. It's just been awhile since anyone had to. When you're a kid, you get taken care of if you're sick.  
When you get older, you have to take care of yourself," Molly said, "I guess I just don't see why you're so dead set on doing this is all. It makes me feel weird."

"Do I have to have a reason?" Remy said as he put on new sheets from the closet, "I can't just stand by and let you run a fever. Something might happen and...and that wouldn't be good."

"Okay. Take care of me. Knock yourself out," Molly groaned, leaning against the dresser. Remy went and picked her up again. He was thankful that he was tall and she was short-it wouldn't be so easy to pick up a taller person like this. "What's wrong?" Remy asked. "Just kind of dizzy," Molly said. The bed was made,  
so he put her back in it. "You want me to see if Mr. Mcoy has anything for this?" Remy asked.  
"I don't even know what I've got. It's better to just ride it out," Molly said. Remy went to get breakfast again. When he returned, Molly was propped up in bed with Kurt and Kitty on either side of her.  
"Don't worry, we'll take really good care of you!" Kitty smiled. "You will not," Remy said good-naturedly,  
"I'm in charge, so you two don't have to worry about anything."

"He's right. Remy has been doing a really good job, so don't worry about it," Molly said.

"We could-" Kurt said.

"I've got everything under control," Remy said.

The pair went down to breakfast, leaving Molly and Remy alone again.

They ate, but Molly wasn't very hungry. "I think I'm getting chills," Molly pulled the blanket up closer. Remy got a couple more from the closet. "Poor petite," Remy rubbed her shoulders, "When you get sick, you get _sick_."

"Really," Molly shivered, "I hate it. I get bored."

"We can play games and stuff," Remy said, "You won't get bored."

"What kind of games? I'm not really into board games or puzzles or anything," Molly said.

Remy smiled. The answer was obvious. Her cluelessness was cute.

So five minutes later he was teaching her card games. They had fun.

"You're pretty good at this once you get the hang of it," Remy commented.  
"Really? Thanks," Molly said. They were playing their third game of black jack.

There was a knock at the door. It was Jean and Scott. "How are you feeling Molly?" Jean asked.

"The same. stuffed up and miserable," Molly answered.

"Well feel better and let us know if you need anything," Scott said.

"Thanks guys. Remy has been taking good care of me lately, so I'm okay," Molly smiled.

Scott and Jean left the room. Remy shuffled the cards. "Play again?" He asked.  
"I don't know. I think I'm getting thirsty," Molly said. She started to get up when Remy grabbed her hand to stop her. "You're not getting up. I'll get it," Remy said.  
He came back to see her putting on socks. "Still cold?" Remy asked.  
"Yeah," She answered.

Remy had a thought. "You want some tea? It might warm you up."

"Yeah. Sounds good. Thank you," Molly buried herself underneath the mass of blankets.

Remy came back with green tea. "I saw Mr. Mcoy in the kitchen.  
He's got a minute so he's coming up to see you."

"Okay," Molly said weakly. She was starting to look pale and washed out. Really sick looking with bags under her eyes. Remy wanted to hold her and make it better,  
or comfort her in some way without it being weird. His chest felt tight.

Moments later came in with a medical bag. "I'd better go," Remy felt awkward. "Jeez. You can stay, Remy. He's just going to listen to my breathing and stuff," Molly rolled her eyes.

Remy looked at Hank. "She's right. There's nothing to be embarrassed about," Hank said.

So Remy sat there and watched Molly get her temperature taken and her throat checked out.  
He saw a good bit of her back when Hank listened to her breathing. Her skin was pale and smooth looking. Remy felt turned on by the sight of her bare back, he couldn't help it. Even when she was sickly pale and looked like she was half dead with her nose running, Molly still managed to stir up his emotions.

Remy had to force himself to calm down. He felt like a giddy 16-year-old boy, not a mature 19-year-old that had seen the world and done more then most people did in their entire lives, including escaping death on multiple occasions. He barely noticed Hank talking.

"...Keep taking your inhalers, drink lots of fluids and get plenty of rest.  
It looks like just a bad cold and fever. You should be over it in about a week," Hank said before leaving.

"Inhalers?" Remy questioned. "I have asthma. Only seems to get worse when I get sick like this. You didn't know that?" Molly said. She was starting to wheeze. Remy slowly shook his head. He didn't know anything about asthma and made a mental note to look it up later.

Molly yawned. "Sleepy?" Remy asked. "No, just really tired," Mollys eyes were starting to look heavy. "You should sleep a little more. You're supposed to be getting plenty of rest,"  
Remy put the cards away and shut the curtains. "You're right. Thanks," Molly snuggled into her pillow and went to sleep again. Remy left the room feeling better now that she'd been seen by Hank. Remy decided to go down to the computer lab and look up asthma and a recipe for something for Molly to eat later.

* * *

Remy was sitting there when Molly awoke a few hours later. She sat up quickly. "I smell food," she remarked.  
"I made you chickpea cakes. Thought you might...like...them," Remys sentence trickled out as he watched Molly _inhale_ the small discus like cakes. "They're my _favorite_! How'd you know? Used to make them a lot but I haven't had time lately.  
You made them just right!" Molly stopped stuffing her face to talk for a moment then continued eating.  
She must've been really hungry because she'd eaten a whole plate on her own. Thankfully Remy had made extra.

"You want some more?" Remy asked.

"Maybe just a couple more. Feed a cold, starve a fever, right?" Molly smiled. She seemed to be feeling a little better. "Right," Remy left to get more. When he came back she was waiting eagerly, but patiently. She had a few more cakes, then they played a rousing game of scrabble.  
"You seem to be feeling better," Remy remarked. "A little. Sleeping for hours will do that," Molly said.  
"Maybe you'll be over it soon," Remy said. "Doubtful," Molly said, then blowing her nose, "I'm still hacking and sneezing. I just need to keep taking it easy."

"I certainly hope you do," The professor entered the room. "Hi Professor. You didn't have to come see me," Molly said.  
"It's no trouble. I trust you're being well taken care of," The Professor smiled with a nod to Remy. "Too well, but I can't complain," Molly replied.  
The professor stayed a little while longer, then left. "I feel like watching TV," Molly said.

Remy picked her up again. "I'll take you over to the rec room."

"Oh for the love of...!" Molly squirmed, "Remy _put_ me _down_!  
I'm not a doll!"

Now she was definitely feeling a little better. Remy noticed she didn't look as washed out as she had yesterday, but her cold was still in it's early stages.

"I don't know why you keep fighting me on this Petite," Remy carried her out of her room and down the hall, "After all, it's not like you can stop me since I _am_ much bigger and stronger then you are." Remy smirked in a self-satisfied way.  
He usually didn't like to use that fact against her since Molly was conscious-and easily annoyed-by her physical limits of small stature and weakness, but there were times when it was a necessary evil.

Remy wanted to tell her that there was feminine beauty in those qualities, but he didn't want to give too much away. Of course she would just take it as more flirting.

"I would stop you if I could morph, but I'm so drained, I can't do anything," Molly said weakly.

"Don't get upset. I didn't mean it like that. You're smaller then me but that's natural since you're a girl and I'm tall. It's also very natural that I'm much stronger then you. You're very feminine and that makes you very beautiful,"

Molly pressed her lips together. "Uh...thanks. That's a nice thing to say. It's very flirty, but nice."

Remy placed her on the couch and they watched tv, then they watched movies for a while.  
Dinnertime rolled around. They ate in the rec room while watching another movie.  
"Do you want dessert?" Remy asked her. "No, I think I'd rather go to sleep early.  
Thanks," Molly yawned. Remy didn't give her the chance to walk back to bed herself.  
He scooped her up and carried her back again. "'Night Cherie," Remy smiled. "Night. Thanks again Remy," Molly snuggled into her pillow.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer:I don't own X-Men:Evolution, just myself (Called Molly Callum in 'fics.)  
and any original characters/background characters that might pop up from time to time.

* * *

The next Morning Molly had gone back to feeling worse. "You really shouldn't be in here. You'll catch it too," Molly said as she tried to shove Remy out of her room.  
To anyone watching, it would have looked funny; The chubby, undersized girl trying to force this much bigger guy out.

Remy wasn't going to leave, but Molly continued trying to force him out.  
"Please, you have to go. I'm feeling a lot worse today,"

Remy turned around as Molly continued to talk.

"I'm hot, sweaty and itchy. My nose is still running,"

Remy caught her hands. "I'm not going to get sick," He stated calmly but she just kept talking. "I'm coughing my head off and I'm not hungry,"

"I'm not going to get sick,"

"-You really don't want this and I don't want you to so you'd better just leave,"

"Molly?"

"Huh?"

"I keep trying to tell you that I probably won't catch your cold. I usually have a good immune system and I've been taking many vitamins. It's very unlikely," Remy led her back to bed.

"Oh. Okay," Molly looked blank, "Well I'm not hungry yet."

"You want some juice or something?" Remy asked. "No. I'd rather just rest now," Molly looked sad for some reason. "What's wrong?" Remy took a seat in his chair he had placed next to the bed. "It's nothing to worry about," Molly said.  
"Tell me. I want to help," Remy said. "Kurt came into my room last night to check on me.  
It was dark and he accidently woke me up. I yelled at him. I said a lot of things I shouldn't have," Molly started crying. Remy hugged her. No wonder she hadn't wanted him around. She was too upset. "It's okay. You we're scared and not feeling well.  
He surprised you," Remy said. "It's _not_ okay!" Molly shouted, "I told him he shouldn't sneak into my room, then I said...I said..." Molly was crying so hard she couldn't talk. Remy waited for her to stop crying and find her voice.  
"I said if he didn't look like such an abnormal freak he wouldn't have scared me so bad. I told him to knock and not wake me up. I said I hated him."

"Well...sometimes we just say things we don't mean when we're upset.  
We've yelled at each other a lot, right? We always made up again later," Remy hugged Molly tighter. "Yeah, but I never said anything like that to you.  
I never said anything about the way _you_ look. You've never said anything so horrible about how I look," Molly said.

"Between the three of us you're the one that looks the most normal," Remy smiled.  
"I'm still fat. I still have...I mean, I'm very...very _girly_ looking," Molly said,  
not trying to say outright the kind of thing she would never say in front of Remy since he was a guy. Remy understood. "Well I like girly looking. Listen, I'll go find Kurt and you guys can talk. I'm sure he will understand."

Remy searched the mansion. After looking for a couple hours he found Kurt down in the storage basement.  
The younger boy looked utterly depressed. "Molly feels awful about what she said. She really wants to talk to you," Remy explained. "She was really mad last night. I've never seen her get that angry," Kurt didn't move. "You and I both know she has a temper," Remy said, "You scared her and now she's afraid you won't want to speak to her again. She didn't mean it, so try and talk to her."  
Kurt nodded and they made their way to the elevator. "I shouldn't have done anything last night.  
I should have just let her sleep," Kurt sighed. "No. You had a good idea, the execution just didn't work," Remy said, "She really isn't mad at you and you're not mad at her, so you guys will make up."

This seemed to cheer Kurt up a elevator came to its floor and they went to Mollys room.  
Kurt opened the door and Molly almost tackled him to the floor, crying her eyes out. "I'm sorry, I'm s-s-SORRY! I don't know what made me say all that stuff. I'm sorry!"

Kurt led her into the room and Remy shut the door so that they could have some privacy.  
Remys chest felt tight again. Molly was something else. Vulnerable, simple, kind, angry. Not trying to put on heirs of sophistication or hide her feelings. All his old girlfriends were like that-all high heels and make-up with little or no substance. Sometimes worse then that when they were wild and crazy. That wasn't Molly and it made Remy glad.

He noticed Kurt coming out of the room. The blue kid walked up to him looking rather crimson under his blue fur. "Er...Molly said she needs...feminine supplies.  
I can't get them because I have to help set up a training session for the kids and all the girls are out. She couldn't ask you herself. What do you say?"

"It's not something I _want_ to do, but if I'm the only one around then I guess I have no choice," Remy said. He would do anything for Molly. What would be the harm?

Ten minutes later he found out. Remy was smart though. He asked her what she needed before leaving and if she wanted anything else.  
This way he didn't have to stand in the aisle forever trying to figure it all out, getting stared at.

When he got to the drugstore however, everything was a different story.  
People were milling about as was usual with any drugstore. Remy went to the correct aisle and started looking. He tried to ignore the snickers from the teenage boys looking at magazines. Remy grabbed "it" and debated getting her something like food or a magazine.  
She hadn't asked for anything else, but he figured as long as he was here he could.

Remy thought ice cream might be a good idea, but then he realized it would make her feel worse. He went down the candy aisle and got a chocolate bar and some butter-nutters cookies. That was when it happened.

Remy slipped and fell on a wet floor. He had been through worse of course,  
but today it just made him angry. He looked over to see the boys laughing at him.  
He scrambled up and got ready to teach them a lesson, then he remembered the last time he did that in a drugstore. He would just get kicked out by security.  
Remy calmly walked to the register and paid for his stuff.

"For your girlfriend?" The slim young lady asked. Her dark hair covered one eye and she had on a red vest with a nametag that read 'Sunny'.

"No," Remy answered.

"Wife?"

"No!-Um, no, of course not," Remy was surprised.

"Hmm...your mom?"

"No. I don't have one," Remy would have asked her what business it was of hers, but he was too caught up in the rapid-fire questions.

"Oh, an aunt? A sister?" The girl looked happy like she might have figured it out.

"No," Remy gave up, "Just a friend." Before he left, he turned back, "Oh, you need to clean up aisle eight. Be sure and keep an eye on the little delinquents hanging around the store."

Sunny suddenly developed a bad twitch on her left eye, "Those," She said vehemently, "Are my brothers!"  
The slim girl grabbed a broom from behind the counter, hopped up on top of it and held it over her head like a baseball bat. Remy backed up, going into a sprint to the car. He missed Sunny by seconds. He was surprised she didn't try to get on the hood and attack him through the windshield.

* * *

Remy shut the doors of the mansion behind him, leaning against them. He was happy that he came back alive and unscathed.  
He wasn't scared of girls, but having run ins with crazy women in the past, some of them ended up having very scary boyfriends. Remy didn't want to find out if Sunny was also one of those girls. Though she probably could have taken Remy on all by herself. Remy went up to Mollys room. She was awake and reading. "Um, here," He handed her the bag. "Uh, thanks. Thanks a lot," Molly said.

A very awkward silence breached the room.

"I'd better go," Remy said.

"No, no! Come on, we're both...uh...adults. This really isn't that awkward," Molly said.  
Remy sat in his chair. "I got you some cookies and a chocolate bar too," Remy said.  
They shared the food. It became quiet again very quickly.

"Thanks for earlier. With Kurt. I know he's not your favorite person," Molly said.  
"Sure. The furball can be annoying, but I know you two are close," Remy explained.  
"He said that sometimes he gets jealous of us. That made me feel bad. I try to keep him included, but I know sometimes we're, like, in our own little bubble. Like now.  
It's just us here," Molly said.

"I never meant to push him out like that. I guess I didn't think about it," Remy realized.  
Maybe he had been spending too much time with Molly.

"It's not your fault. Happens to everyone. Sometimes I feel like that with him and Kitty because they've known each other longer then they've known me. Sometimes they exclude me without realizing it. I guess I was doing the same thing," Molly said.

"He should be done with training soon. Have him spend a little time with you and I'll stay out of the way for a while," Remy said.

"You don't have to," Molly looked conflicted. "It's fine. You guys need to catch up," Remy left to tell Kurt and apologize. Afterwards he got a shower and took a nap. He hadn't realize how tired he was.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer:I don't own X-Men:Evolution, just myself (Called Molly Callum in 'fics.)  
and any original characters/background characters that might pop up from time to time.

* * *

When Remy woke up again he came back to the rather unfortunate sight of Molly tossing her cookies.  
"Uugh," She leaned against the door frame when it was over,"I _hate_ that."

Remy helped her back to bed. "Maybe you should get a shower. You'll feel better."  
She would also smell better. "Okay. I just need a minute," Molly said.  
Remy went beyond being a good caretaker and went to the bathroom, laying out towels and a bathrobe. He went to the cabinet and got out the special lavender scented soap. Eventually Molly made her way to the bathroom.

Remy made her bed, then went and heated up a carton of vegetable broth with toast. He went back upstairs to make sure she had changed clothes,  
asked if she was hungry, then brought it back up after she said yes.  
"Must be a little more then a cold, huh?" Remy sat with her as she ate.  
"Figures," Molly said, "You're doing way too much. You should get out of the house or something."

"I took a break. I'm fine," Remy said. "At least get out tonight.  
Scott is taking the boys to the movies. You should go too," Molly said.  
"Okay, if you don't throw up again, I might go. If you're too bad, I'm staying here," Remy said.  
"You're as stubborn as I am!" Molly smirked.

They played cards and other games for quite some time. Evening rolled around and Remy decided to go out. "Call me if you want me to come home," Remy said.  
"I'll be fine. You worry too much," Molly started to eat dinner. "Only about you, cherie," Remy winked.

The movie helped get Remys mind off of Molly. A dramatic thriller with Jessica Karaba was bound to do that, but while it was fun, Remy didn't feel as impressed with Jessica as usual. He felt okay and still found her attractive, but his usual objective comments of his favorite actress weren't there tonight.  
He wasn't calling her gorgeous or saying how drool worthy she looked in a bikini.  
Remy just sat back and listened to the boys make all those comments. It was like his mind was somewhere else.

With his acute night vision Remy could see Bobby give him a 'Why aren't you saying anything?' look. Remy just gave him a shrug because he wasn't sure himself.

* * *

The boys left the movie feeling refreshed but wound up. They went to a restaurant to get some dinner.

"What's with you?" Bobby asked. "What?" Remy said.  
"You're acting really weird tonight. Just zoned out. I mean, you're the first of us to yell at the screen and the last to quit," Bobby said.  
"Guess I'm just tired or something," Remy said. "He's worried about his girlfriend," Ray teased.  
"We're friends," Remy threw a french fry at Ray, "Everybody knows that so shush."  
"So you wouldn't care if I took her out?" Ray said. Remy was surprised.  
Ray was far from the romantic type. He was more like Pietro in that he would date girls without caring about them. Just for fun, no real reason for it. He would just dump them and not care. He was a user.  
"You like Molly?" Roberto asked. "Nah. It would just be for a minute.  
Take her out, show her a good time for a couple weeks, then let her go. She's cute for a fat girl but I bet she kisses like a fish-," Ray was interrupted by Remy hauling him to his feet. Remy had his fist just inches from the boys face. Sam and Bobby were holding Remy back. Scott was trying to get between Remy and Ray. Things had gone from fun to crazy in a matter of seconds.  
Everyone was screaming things like "Hang on!" and "Don't hit him!", so they were attracting attention. Remy knew people were staring and he didn't care.

"You talk like that about her again...you ever try to use her like that...you're going to regret it," Remy let go of Ray and went outside. A storm was soon to come in so the night was cold and windy. It wasn't too far from the Institute. Remy figured he could walk home from here.  
For the moment though, he just wanted to calm down. He was so upset he was shaking.

"Remy?" Kurt came out the door. "Uh...hi," Remy said. He felt a little embarrassed for his behavior.  
Usually he only lost it like that when they were fighting their enemies. Never on another student.  
Not someone he actually knew. "You were ready to pummel him. What's going on?" Kurt asked, "Did you get replaced by an alien?" Kurt smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

"Kurt, you heard what he said in there. Didn't that make you angry?" Remy asked. Of course Remy hadn't been just angry, he'd been downright furious.

"Sure. I was about to say something, but then you beat me to it," Kurt said.

"You're the only one that knows how I feel. I'm very protective of her.  
I was just trying to defend her back there," Remy laughed suddenly, "I guess Molly was right. I have been stuck inside too long. I should've just told Ray to shut up but instead I go to try to kill him."

"Yeah," Kurt said.

They stood there and watch the rain start to fall as they stood underneath the restaurants awning. Remy was torn up inside. That wasn't normal behavior for him. He felt like he was going a little nuts really. He hadn't been sleeping so good lately because he'd been helping Molly out. Not to mention what she was doing to him when they weren't together. It was like he was addicted to spending time with her. Remy felt tired and confused. He knew that he would sleep good tonight.

"Kurt?"

"Huh?"

"Thanks for coming after me. You're a good friend,"

"Thanks. You're a good friend too,"

Remy went inside and watched Ray sink down into his seat. It wasn't over. They would have words later.

The boys had a quiet dessert and drove home. Bobby played with the radio and it landed on some soft music station.  
A song that was positively ancient came on.

"Turn that crap off, man," Roberto whined.  
"Hey, I like this crap," Bobby said. Everyone in the car was for changing the station, but Remy was sitting quietly next to Sam. The song continued playing.

"I should feel all so flurried but I don't I should be getting worried but I won't I guess you know what's happened to me..."

Everyone got very quiet and stared as they watched Remy sing along.

"I've told it once or twice It started when I happened to see Somebody, oh, somebody so, somebody, oh, so nice

Somebody stole my heart away Somebody stole my heart away

Still I'll do no weeping It's in safe keeping when I'm awake or sleeping

Once I was, oh, so fancy free Somebody made those eyes at me I don't care what occurs, she got mine but I got hers When somebody stole my heart away

Once I was, oh, so fancy free Somebody made those eyes at me I don't care what occurs, she got mine but I got hers When somebody stole my heart away,"

When the song was over, Bobby turned the radio off.  
Everyone was still staring at Remy.  
"...What?"He said, "A guy can't sing along to the radio?"

"You didn't strike us as the singing type," Scott said looking in the rearview mirror as he drove.

"I didn't strike me as the singing type either," Remy said.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer:I don't own X-Men:Evolution, just myself (Called Molly Callum in 'fics.)  
and any original characters/background characters that might pop up from time to time.

* * *

When they got back Molly was sleeping. Remy went to bed and slept for ages.  
When he woke up again it was almost nine. Much later then he usually woke up.  
He didn't even remember turning off his alarm clock.

He got dressed and went to the kitchen. He had the swinging door open a crack when he heard the girls giggling and Molly talking.  
"...And he was like 'Mon Dieu! Cherie, you're better at this then I am!'  
I said something like, 'You're just letting me win because I suck at games,'.  
Except he insisted! He said 'I can teach you how to play lots of..._games_,'"

"So _then_ what happened?" Amara asked.

"Well..." Molly paused dramatically, "He looked at me, and I looked at him...then we decided we just couldn't take it anymore so we decided to..."

"To?" Kitty smirked.

"Play a game of scrabble!" The girls burst into giggles again.

The girls were so distracted they didn't see Remy come up behind Molly.  
He leaned down, getting close to speak in her ear. "Feeling much better, are we?" He whispered.  
"AHHHH!" Molly shrieked. She jumped into the air and reacted by turning into a tiny sparrow.

"Cute. Can't believe you're already up and around though," Remy said.

Molly changed back. "I'm not better just yet. I just came down to get some juice and the hassling committee wanted to know why you've been spending so much time in my room since I've been sick."

"Sometimes we make-out, sometimes we play cards," Remy joked,  
"She's not really sick, she's just trying to get out of danger room training."

"Seriously, Remy has been taking better care of me then I take of myself," Molly said, "It's been nice."

"If you're not over it you need to go back upstairs. Right now," Remy said.

Molly knew it was useless to argue, so she just walked. Remy had a quick breakfast then went upstairs. He found Molly reading. "What are you reading?" He asked.  
"Just some stupid love story," She looked embarrassed and put the book aside.

Remy reached over and picked up the book. The title read 'The Gates of Prosperity.'  
He thumbed through it. "'Oh Gloria,'" He started to read from where Molly had left off, "'You look Devine. Like a splendid summers evening. Ryan said with the utmost sincerity.'"

Molly said, "Go on,"

Remy kept on reading. He thought the book was corny and very unrealistic.  
He stopped at the thirteenth chapter because Molly was looking tired.  
"_I_ could write a better romance novel then that!" He said, "I act more romantic then that whole book!"

"You do," Molly smiled, "All the time. You're so nice and sweet to me."

Remy held her hand. "Sometimes I think I'm a little too nice."  
He couldn't explain his behavior lately. He knew how much he liked her, but this crush was starting to get a little intense.

"You're not too nice," Molly said, "You're great. Not many of the others would want to do this for me. I'm still not sure why you want to, but I'm glad."

"Uh, you're welcome," Remy looked at Molly, then at the floor.  
Molly sneezed.

Then again.  
"...Aahhhh-CHOO!"

Then a third time.  
"Aaaahhhh-CHOOO!"

"Maybe it's time for you to take some more medicine," Remy took the heavy duty cold and flu medicine from the night stand.  
"That's the stuff that's going to knock me out for hours," Molly looked at the bottle, "Do I really have to take it right now?"  
The whine in her voice came out throatier then usual.

"I know you've been sleeping a lot, but I think it's best," Remy poured the medicine into a serving cup and handed it to her. Molly looked at it with distaste, then quickly knocked it back in one swallow. Almost immediately she looked a little bit loopy, perhaps disoriented.

"Are you okay?" Remy was suddenly very concerned. Maybe he'd given her too much?

"That stuff just hits too hard," Molly blinked. Her eyelids were starting to droop.  
She laid back. "Sometimes you're really annoying...but I guess that's why I like you so much. You're manly. You treat me really good and try to make me do the right thing."

Remy blinked in confusion, not believing his own ears. Had she just admitted to liking him out loud? "Come again?" Remy asked.

"I really like you," Molly repeated in a sleepy voice as her eyes closed, "Oh...pretty butterflies."

Remy rolled his eyes. He felt stupid for not having realized that the medicine was making her drugged up. She probably wouldn't remember saying anything later.

Still, he already knew how she felt. He didn't really need confirmation, but it had been nice to hear it, even if it was the result of flu medicine.

Remy tucked Molly in with an extra blanket and left the room. She was going to be asleep for some time, so it gave him the chance to catch up on some things.  
He picked up his room, did his laundry and then caught up on TV. He must have been more tired then he realized, because he woke up much later with drool seeping out of his mouth and a post-it note stuck to his forehead.

He read the note:

'Molly still sleeping. Everyone going out to ball game. Prof. and Logan trusting you so don't mess up!-Kurt'

Remy vaguely remembered the plans to take all the kids out to a baseball game that week. It was supposed to be a big event,  
but he hadn't really noticed or cared. He was more into football. Aside from that, he'd been to concerned over Molly to concentrate on much else.

Now he was alone in the mansion with her for a few hours. It was only a little after seven. He'd probably just missed everyone leave.

"The house is so quiet. Where did everyone go?" Molly entered the rec room looking tired.

"That baseball game. Are you feeling better?" Remy asked as she sat on the couch.

"Much better. The medicine helped a lot," Molly said. "That's good. If you're hungry I can make you something," Remy said.

"Okay, but I want to go to the kitchen this time. I've been in my room for the past three days and I'm going looney tunes in there," Molly smiled.

They went to the kitchen. Molly watched as Remy made canned soup and sandwiches.  
"Uh...did I say anything weird when I took that cough syrup earlier? I know that stuff does a number on me," Molly said. "You weren't talking about having pet ostriches and hugging toobytubbies if that's what you mean," Remy smirked.  
"Ah, okay," Molly said, "I've just been known to say some strange things when I'm taking strong medicine."

"Such as...?" Remy was intrigued.

"Wishing kittens were pink, wanting to hug a salmon, saying bad things about pencil sharpeners. Stuff like that," Molly said, "You probably didn't get very sick when you were a kid. You look so healthy."

"I had my share of chicken pox and colds, don't worry," Remy smiled.  
Remy quickly repressed the memories of being begrudgingly taken care of by his adoptive father as a child. Remy had not been considered much more then a meal ticket and a way to fortune, so when he did get sick it was imperative that he get better quickly. The cures had come without comfort or a gentle bedside manner. It still stung at his heart as an adult, so it was hard to remember those times.

Remy watched as Molly ate and thought things through. Perhaps this was why he was being so careful and tentative of her lately.  
Why he was obsessing over her so much. Since he didn't get doted on, he wanted to make sure that Molly was getting the best care possible. It seemed a little silly since everyone in the mansion was well taken care of when they got sick, but it made sense.  
Remy decided that was the best explanation for his crazy behavior lately. He just wanted her safe and well again. That was all.

"Why are you staring at me?" Molly asked. "Uh, sorry. Just thinking about stuff. I haven't really been sure why I've wanted to take care of you either, but I guess I've just been feeling protective of you lately," Remy smiled,  
taking her hand from across the table and squeezing it.

"Thanks. You're almost like an older brother. At least when you're not flirting," Molly rolled her eyes.

"I haven't been doing much of that lately, have I?" He smirked, "You know you still look radiant when you're sick."  
"You shouldn't flirt when we're alone like this. It...it isn't appropriate. At all," Molly looked embarrassed.  
Remy got up and ruffled her hair. "_You_ need to lighten up. I wouldn't, er, try to seduce you when you're sick."  
Molly turned red up to her roots. "REMY!"

"What?" He looked at her, "You are 18. You should know about things like that. Not all guys are as nice as me."

"I know about things like that," Molly said quietly.

Silence.

"You're really not like other girls," Remy mused, "So innocent. Probably waiting until you get engaged or something."  
That had come out more snarky then Remy had intended.

"N-no. Married. I want to be married first," Molly looked more determined then Remy had ever seen her.  
She seemed bent on her resolve. "I have morals, unlike a lot of other people."

Molly stared at the ground. "So I guess you're, uh, not waiting."

Remy was surprised at her candidness. Usually she'd keep to herself about things like this, but he had brought it up first, so maybe she had a right to know how he felt on the subject.  
"I don't know. I never really gave it much thought. I've never done anything if that's what you're worried about, but if the right girl wanted to wait, then I'd respect her decision and want to wait too."

"You surprise me. I hadn't thought about it before, but I guess seeing how you are with girls, I guess I just thought..." Molly let it hang.

"Well you thought wrong. Just because girls like me and I flirt doesn't mean I don't have some moral compass. We are friends. I think you'd know if I were doing things and then you'd hate me for it and we wouldn't be friends anymore," Remy said.

"Darn right!" Molly said. They laughed. "If you're feeling up to it I guess we could go upstairs and play video games to kill some time," Remy suggested.

"Really? No one else is home and you want to play video games?" Molly raised her eyebrows as she looked mischievous.

"What did you have in mind?" Remy asked.

That was how about ten minutes later, they found themselves toilet-papering Bobby's room, then Remy talked Molly into putting a stink bomb into Scott's room. Afterwards they raided the fridge, then they sat down and played video games.

Remy looked over to see that Molly had fallen asleep on the couch after about an hour of playing. He carried her back to bed for the umpteenth time, just staring at her for several minutes.

"I'd wait for you," Remy whispered as he stood in the dark, watching her breathe deeply. He shut the door and went to his room, deciding to take a shower in the morning. It had been a long day.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer:I don't own X-Men:Evolution, just myself (Called Molly Callum in 'fics.)  
and any original characters/background characters that might pop up from time to time.

* * *

The next morning, Remy woke up feeling confused. He looked out the window to see that it was raining hard. Last night seemed blurry, then he remembered that he'd gone to bed before everyone had gotten home, so he hadn't had to hear the usual night sounds around the mansion of everyone fighting or causing havok or Logan yelling.  
It had been very peaceful.

"YOU'RE NOT GETTING IT BACK!" A voice yelled from the hallway.

So much for peaceful. Remy got up and went into the hallway.  
"Everyone's probably still asleep, so keep it down!" He scolded Jubilee and Roberto.

"Remy it's eight. Everyone is up," Jubilee explained.

"...Oh. Sorry," Remy said. He must've been sleeping really hard again.  
He went and got a shower, then went to Molly's room. She was still in her pajamas, sitting there drawing, so she was obviously not over her illness. However she was looking much better then she had in the past few days, especially since last night.

"You're looking better," Remy said as he entered the room.  
"I'm feeling a lot better, but I don't think I'm over it yet.  
I'm still sneezing a lot and coughing, but I don't feel as bad as I was," Molly said, "I guess that's thanks to you."

"Wasn't any trouble. I was glad to help," Remy smiled, sitting down.

"Maybe I'll be over this in a couple of days," Molly said.  
"I hope so," Remy said.

"Uh, so, here. I got bored and I just...I made this," Molly shyly handed him a drawing of the two of them. "I'm bad at drawing people realistically, but I try," She said.

"It's great! You're so talented! I'm really impressed," Remy went all out and hugged her.  
He really wasn't the hugging type, so this said something.

"This is nice but you're crushing me," Molly squeaked.

"Sorry," Remy let go.

"I'm glad you l-like it," Molly blushed. She looked so happy.  
Remy wanted to kiss her right then and there, but he resisted.  
He turned his enthusiasm into flirting instead.

"They say artists make the best girlfriends because they're the most sensitive," He swiffed back his hair and flexed his muscles, "And men who can cook are also very good kissers."

"Now you're just making stuff up!" Molly laughed, "Stop being such a goofball!"

"It's true! We can test the theory if you kiss me,"  
Remy smiled his best smile.

Molly whacked him with a pillow.  
"I think you _are_ feeling better," He said,  
"So if I kiss you, I probably won't get sick."

*THWOMP!*

* * *

The day wore on without much incident apart from Roberto and Jamie unsuccessfully trying to pull a prank on Remy by going in his room and setting it up. Remy walked in just in time so that they couldn't do anything.

By dinner, Molly was feeling well enough to join everyone again. She was still coughing, but said she felt much better. Remy was very happy at this news.  
Probably more happy then he should be, he reasoned. "What are you so cheery about?" Rogue said from across the table. Remy just shrugged. "He's scaring me," Rahne whispered as she sat next to Kitty. "He's scaring everyone, don't worry," Kitty winked.

Dinner eventually finished and everyone started taking their plates to the kitchen.  
"You stay put," Remy took Mollys plate from her just as she got up from the table.  
"I can take my own plate to the kitchen. Sheesh!" Molly complained. Remy gave it back to her. He had to relinquish his care taking status sometime and Molly was more then capable to taking care of herself, especially now that she was getting better.

"AHHH!" Remy heard Molly scream from the kitchen.  
He ran in and saw her on the floor. There was a deep gash down her leg and it was bleeding quite a bit. Not buckets of blood, but enough to be concerned about. Remy quickly wrapped a dish towel around it and scooped Molly up off the floor. "What happened?" He asked as he rushed to the elevator.

"I got tangled up in a loose cord that was laying on the floor.  
I guess someone left one of the cabinets open and my leg caught it.  
Sometimes I'm so...stupid," Molly looked embarrassed as she grit her teeth.

"You're not stupid. It was an accident," Remy assured her, "Accidents happen."

"Yeah well, they happen to me more often then I'd like," Molly said.

Eventually they reached the infirmary.

Molly didn't need stitches, but she did need to have the wound wrapped up tight. "Normally you could morph and heal yourself, but I wouldn't recommend it since you're trying to get better," Hank said, "This time it'll have to be the old fashioned way."

"That's fine, I don't care. I think I'd rather just get some sleep," Molly said.  
"I can take you to your room if you want," Remy said, trying to be helpful again.  
"Thanks, but I'm okay. I got it," Molly said. Remy nodded. She could take care of herself, he had to remember that.

Remy went upstairs and watched TV for a while. He didn't fall asleep this time,  
but his mind was racing again.

Molly. She was constantly on his mind lately. He didn't understand it.  
She wasn't outrageously beautiful by most standards. Not memorable.  
Not brainy, witty, brave, or refined. So why couldn't he think straight? Why was she making him feel like this?

Remy didn't have anymore time to think about it because Kurt and a few of the boys tromped into the room loudly.  
"Can we watch _Hi-Tech_ in here?" Bobby asked. "Sure," Remy handed him the remote. He watched for a few minutes,  
then went to bed.

Maybe tomorrow things would be back to normal.

* * *

The next day things were much more normal then they had been.  
Mollys healing power had kicked in during the night after she'd accidentally morphed,  
so her leg was better. The real good news was that she was feeling almost 100 percent again.

"Don't strain yourself," Remy warned as she rushed past him down the stairs.  
"I won't. I'm just really hungry," She called back to him.

Remy went into the kitchen and got some breakfast. The day flew by and before he knew it it was almost noon. He was folding his laundry when there was a knock at the door. It was Molly, of course. She had a big bag that seemed so heavy,  
she was holding the handle with both hands.

"Um...I know it's kind of silly, but I really appreciated you taking care of me when I was sick. I got you something. Like, a thank you gift," She looked embarrassed.

"I wish you hadn't, but it looks like you went to a lot of trouble," Remy took the bag and set it on the bed, taking it's contents out of the bag.

"Aw, come on," Molly playfully elbowed him, "We're always getting each other stuff. It's not a big deal."

What was inside the bag actually _was_ a big deal. Remy gulped as he stared at "it". "Petite? How much did this cost?" Remys eyes widened in shock and awe. He was probably a shade or two paler, but he didn't know since he wasn't in front of a mirrior. He couldn't stop staring at it.

"Does it matter?" Molly tried feigning innocence, but that didn't work on Remy.

"How. Much," Remy looked at her.

The present was a very expensive, many bells-and-whistles stereo.  
Except it wasn't _just_ a stereo. It was a stereo, a personal organizer,  
a phone, a fax machine/scanner/copier, and a camera. You could take each piece apart so everything was portable. Plus it even came with a charger for ones iPod. Remy had been eyeing it in the store for some time because, like most men, he liked gadgets. It had just been too expensive to purchase though.

"There was a sale and I had my discount card, so it was only 200.  
Much cheaper then the 560 they were asking for it originally," Molly said.

"Thank you, I really love it, but try not to spend that much money on me again. I'm not worth it," Remy smiled, still trying to recover from the sticker shock.

"You're wrong. You are worth it. You really deserve it. You worked too hard and we're with me almost every minute. Just enjoy it and have fun," Molly said. Remy hugged her. "What am I going to do with you, cherie?"

"Mmm. I like hugs," Molly muttered to herself. Remy smirked.  
"I mean, well," Molly caught herself, "Are you going to open it or not?"

Remy opened the box and they put it together. The peacefulness of being alone in the room together didn't last because once everyone else heard the music coming from the bedroom,  
they all came in to ooh and ahh over the brand new Orchestral XI-5000.

"So where do I get a girl like that to buy me stuff?" Roberto nudged Remy.  
"Can't find her just anywhere," Remy watched Molly dance, "She is one of a kind."


End file.
